<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<link rel="STYLESHEET" href="lib.css" type='text/css' />
<link rel="SHORTCUT ICON" href="../icons/pyfav.png" type="image/png" />
<link rel='start' href='../index.html' title='Python documentation Index' />
<link rel="first" href="lib.html" title='Python library Reference' />
<link rel='contents' href='contents.html' title="Contents" />
<link rel='index' href='genindex.html' title='Index' />
<link rel='last' href='about.html' title='About this document...' />
<link rel='help' href='about.html' title='About this document...' />
<link rel="next" href="dom-element-objects.html" />
<link rel="prev" href="dom-documenttype-objects.html" />
<link rel="parent" href="node217.html" />
<link rel="next" href="dom-element-objects.html" />
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<meta name='aesop' content='information' />
<title>8.6.2.5 Document Objects </title>
</head>
<body>
<div class="navigation">
<div id='top-navigation-panel' xml:id='top-navigation-panel'>
<table align="center" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2">
<tr>
<td class='online-navigation'><a rel="prev" title="8.6.2.4 documenttype Objects"
  href="dom-documenttype-objects.html"><img src='../icons/previous.png'
  border='0' height='32'  alt='Previous Page' width='32' /></a></td>
<td class='online-navigation'><a rel="parent" title="8.6.2 objects in the"
  href="node217.html"><img src='../icons/up.png'
  border='0' height='32'  alt='Up one Level' width='32' /></a></td>
<td class='online-navigation'><a rel="next" title="8.6.2.6 element Objects"
  href="dom-element-objects.html"><img src='../icons/next.png'
  border='0' height='32'  alt='Next Page' width='32' /></a></td>
<td align="center" width="100%">Python Library Reference</td>
<td class='online-navigation'><a rel="contents" title="Table of Contents"
  href="contents.html"><img src='../icons/contents.png'
  border='0' height='32'  alt='Contents' width='32' /></a></td>
<td class='online-navigation'><a href="modindex.html" title="Module Index"><img src='../icons/modules.png'
  border='0' height='32'  alt='Module Index' width='32' /></a></td>
<td class='online-navigation'><a rel="index" title="Index"
  href="genindex.html"><img src='../icons/index.png'
  border='0' height='32'  alt='Index' width='32' /></a></td>
</tr></table>
<div class='online-navigation'>
<b class="navlabel">Previous:</b>
<a class="sectref" rel="prev" href="dom-documenttype-objects.html">8.6.2.4 DocumentType Objects</a>
<b class="navlabel">Up:</b>
<a class="sectref" rel="parent" href="node217.html">8.6.2 Objects in the</a>
<b class="navlabel">Next:</b>
<a class="sectref" rel="next" href="dom-element-objects.html">8.6.2.6 Element Objects</a>
</div>
<hr /></div>
</div>
<!--End of Navigation Panel-->

<h3><a name="SECTION0010625000000000000000"></a><a name="dom-document-objects"></a>
<br>
8.6.2.5 Document Objects 
</h3>

<p>
A <tt class="class">Document</tt> represents an entire XML document, including its
constituent elements, attributes, processing instructions, comments
etc.  Remeber that it inherits properties from <tt class="class">Node</tt>.

<p>
<dl><dt><b><tt id='l2h-1805' xml:id='l2h-1805' class="member">documentElement</tt></b></dt>
<dd>
The one and only root element of the document.
</dl>

<p>
<dl><dt><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr valign="baseline">
  <td><nobr><b><tt id='l2h-1806' xml:id='l2h-1806' class="method">createElement</tt></b>(</nobr></td>
  <td><var>tagName</var>)</td></tr></table></dt>
<dd>
Create and return a new element node.  The element is not inserted
into the document when it is created.  You need to explicitly insert
it with one of the other methods such as <tt class="method">insertBefore()</tt> or
<tt class="method">appendChild()</tt>.
</dl>

<p>
<dl><dt><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr valign="baseline">
  <td><nobr><b><tt id='l2h-1807' xml:id='l2h-1807' class="method">createElementNS</tt></b>(</nobr></td>
  <td><var>namespaceURI, tagName</var>)</td></tr></table></dt>
<dd>
Create and return a new element with a namespace.  The
<var>tagName</var> may have a prefix.  The element is not inserted into the
document when it is created.  You need to explicitly insert it with
one of the other methods such as <tt class="method">insertBefore()</tt> or
<tt class="method">appendChild()</tt>.
</dl>

<p>
<dl><dt><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr valign="baseline">
  <td><nobr><b><tt id='l2h-1808' xml:id='l2h-1808' class="method">createTextNode</tt></b>(</nobr></td>
  <td><var>data</var>)</td></tr></table></dt>
<dd>
Create and return a text node containing the data passed as a
parameter.  As with the other creation methods, this one does not
insert the node into the tree.
</dl>

<p>
<dl><dt><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr valign="baseline">
  <td><nobr><b><tt id='l2h-1809' xml:id='l2h-1809' class="method">createComment</tt></b>(</nobr></td>
  <td><var>data</var>)</td></tr></table></dt>
<dd>
Create and return a comment node containing the data passed as a
parameter.  As with the other creation methods, this one does not
insert the node into the tree.
</dl>

<p>
<dl><dt><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr valign="baseline">
  <td><nobr><b><tt id='l2h-1810' xml:id='l2h-1810' class="method">createProcessingInstruction</tt></b>(</nobr></td>
  <td><var>target, data</var>)</td></tr></table></dt>
<dd>
Create and return a processing instruction node containing the
<var>target</var> and <var>data</var> passed as parameters.  As with the other
creation methods, this one does not insert the node into the tree.
</dl>

<p>
<dl><dt><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr valign="baseline">
  <td><nobr><b><tt id='l2h-1811' xml:id='l2h-1811' class="method">createAttribute</tt></b>(</nobr></td>
  <td><var>name</var>)</td></tr></table></dt>
<dd>
Create and return an attribute node.  This method does not associate
the attribute node with any particular element.  You must use
<tt class="method">setAttributeNode()</tt> on the appropriate <tt class="class">Element</tt> object
to use the newly created attribute instance.
</dl>

<p>
<dl><dt><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr valign="baseline">
  <td><nobr><b><tt id='l2h-1812' xml:id='l2h-1812' class="method">createAttributeNS</tt></b>(</nobr></td>
  <td><var>namespaceURI, qualifiedName</var>)</td></tr></table></dt>
<dd>
Create and return an attribute node with a namespace.  The
<var>tagName</var> may have a prefix.  This method does not associate the
attribute node with any particular element.  You must use
<tt class="method">setAttributeNode()</tt> on the appropriate <tt class="class">Element</tt> object
to use the newly created attribute instance.
</dl>

<p>
<dl><dt><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr valign="baseline">
  <td><nobr><b><tt id='l2h-1813' xml:id='l2h-1813' class="method">getElementsByTagName</tt></b>(</nobr></td>
  <td><var>tagName</var>)</td></tr></table></dt>
<dd>
Search for all descendants (direct children, children's children,
etc.) with a particular element type name.
</dl>

<p>
<dl><dt><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr valign="baseline">
  <td><nobr><b><tt id='l2h-1814' xml:id='l2h-1814' class="method">getElementsByTagNameNS</tt></b>(</nobr></td>
  <td><var>namespaceURI, localName</var>)</td></tr></table></dt>
<dd>
Search for all descendants (direct children, children's children,
etc.) with a particular namespace URI and localname.  The localname is
the part of the namespace after the prefix.
</dl>

<p>

<div class="navigation">
<div class='online-navigation'>
<p></p><hr />
<table align="center" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="2">
<tr>
<td class='online-navigation'><a rel="prev" title="8.6.2.4 documenttype Objects"
  href="dom-documenttype-objects.html"><img src='../icons/previous.png'
  border='0' height='32'  alt='Previous Page' width='32' /></a></td>
<td class='online-navigation'><a rel="parent" title="8.6.2 objects in the"
  href="node217.html"><img src='../icons/up.png'
  border='0' height='32'  alt='Up one Level' width='32' /></a></td>
<td class='online-navigation'><a rel="next" title="8.6.2.6 element Objects"
  href="dom-element-objects.html"><img src='../icons/next.png'
  border='0' height='32'  alt='Next Page' width='32' /></a></td>
<td align="center" width="100%">Python Library Reference</td>
<td class='online-navigation'><a rel="contents" title="Table of Contents"
  href="contents.html"><img src='../icons/contents.png'
  border='0' height='32'  alt='Contents' width='32' /></a></td>
<td class='online-navigation'><a href="modindex.html" title="Module Index"><img src='../icons/modules.png'
  border='0' height='32'  alt='Module Index' width='32' /></a></td>
<td class='online-navigation'><a rel="index" title="Index"
  href="genindex.html"><img src='../icons/index.png'
  border='0' height='32'  alt='Index' width='32' /></a></td>
</tr></table>
<div class='online-navigation'>
<b class="navlabel">Previous:</b>
<a class="sectref" rel="prev" href="dom-documenttype-objects.html">8.6.2.4 DocumentType Objects</a>
<b class="navlabel">Up:</b>
<a class="sectref" rel="parent" href="node217.html">8.6.2 Objects in the</a>
<b class="navlabel">Next:</b>
<a class="sectref" rel="next" href="dom-element-objects.html">8.6.2.6 Element Objects</a>
</div>
</div>
<hr />
<span class="release-info">Release 2.5.1, documentation updated on 18th April, 2007.</span>
</div>
<!--End of Navigation Panel-->
<address>
See <i><a href="about.html">About this document...</a></i> for information on suggesting changes.
</address>
</body>
</html>
